A6
THE ASTORIAN • TuESdAy, MAy 26, 2020
Williams: New director
will face challenge of
steering the department
out of pandemic havoc
The water district in Falcon Cove will extend a moratorium.
Colin Murphey/The Astorian
Continued from Page A1
Falcon Cove: Board’s actions draw criticism
Continued from Page A1
The water district declared
an emergency in Decem-
ber 2018 after reporting that
water production had been
at record low levels for the
past several years during late
summer months. The board
attributed the water shortage
to increased use at vacation
rentals.
Property owners who
want to build in Cove Beach
and Falcon Cove, an unin-
corporated area on the bor-
der of Clatsop and Tillamook
counties, have been limited in
their ability to obtain build-
ing permits because of the
moratorium.
Separate investigations
The board’s actions have
drawn criticism about trans-
parency and possible ulterior
motives to limit development.
Some property owners have
conducted their own investi-
gations, which have contra-
dicted the board’s findings.
Guido Paparoni, a geolo-
gist, and his wife, Margaret
Rozendaal, a climate scien-
tist, own a lot in Cove Beach
and spent months analyzing
data obtained through pub-
lic records requests. They
came to the conclusion that
there is no drought or water
shortage in the late summer
months. David Livermore, a
hydrogeologist and longtime
homeowner in Cove Beach,
came to the same conclu-
sions. They shared their find-
ings with the water district
and Clatsop County last year.
Dice walked back claims
of a water shortage in Decem-
ber after he said the water dis-
trict discovered an obstruc-
tion in its well that led to false
data. He said he felt confident
another extension of the mor-
atorium would not be needed.
But Dice told property
owners Saturday that the
water district is waiting on a
water rights permit from the
state for the well, which is
why the board is extending
the moratorium for another
six months.
“As soon as we have final
approval, then as the board
has discussed, we will take
the risk, sort to speak, and lift
the moratorium even before
we have finished the con-
struction of the integration
with well No. 1,” Dice said.
“That’s our intent.”
But Paparoni and oth-
ers told the board in May
that they emailed the Ore-
gon Water Resources Depart-
ment and found that no per-
mit application process is
needed because the water dis-
trict qualifies for exempt use.
Clatsop County Commis-
sioner Lianne Thompson,
who represents most of South
County and lives in Cove
Beach, told the water district
board during a public hearing
Saturday that the purpose of
the board is to deliver water.
“To the extent that it strays
beyond that — speaking
hypothetically, of course —
into areas such as constrain-
ing growth, that is beyond the
scope of the legal authority of
the water board,” she said.
“Working with my expe-
rience and listening to the
myriad of phone calls and
emails — please, I have so
many during the past months
and years — I would say
that this district is at risk for
lawsuits because people see
illegal taking of their prop-
erty rights. I also have heard
the risk of ethics complaints
with the Oregon Ethics Com-
mission, but most of all I
have seen exacerbating con-
flict between neighbors. To
the extent that we are liv-
ing together here as neigh-
bors, I beg you, I plead with
you, look for ways to listen to
others.”
‘Appropriate data’
Residents and property
owners also spoke out against
the board’s plan to install a
second well. The water dis-
trict has identified a subdivi-
sion called Cove Creek as a
location for a second well.
Jim Caldwell, who lives in
Cove Creek, asked the board
to consider delaying spend-
ing money on studies for a
second well.
“From what I know of
the other folks here, I think
there’s pretty much consen-
sus that we’re not interested
in pushing forward with that
until we have good evidence
and the water is actually
needed,” he said.
“I think the main ques-
tion that arises for many of
us here and in Cove Creek
is that, you know, this report
that Guido Paparoni and
Margaret Rozendaal have
submitted in the past to the
board has not really, as far as
we can tell, been addressed,”
he said.
Krista Shipsey, who also
lives in Cove Creek, told the
board she wants to understand
the discrepancies between
Paparoni and Rozendaal’s
findings and the water dis-
trict’s findings, especially
since the moratorium is driv-
ing the district’s budget.
“And what I’m asking for
is an opportunity to really ask
questions regarding kind of
both datasets, because I think
in order to justify the mora-
torium and everything that
goes toward that in terms of
the budget, there needs to be
appropriate data and there
needs to be the ability to
question that,” she said.
Port: Hopes to complete infrastructure projects
Continued from Page A1
The Port isn’t planning
to lay off or furlough any
employees, Isom said, but
has frozen pay increases
for all staff in the coming
year and projects to save
$75,000 from fewer secu-
rity officers contracted to
watch over ships.
The Port hopes to com-
plete several major infra-
structure projects on the
central waterfront, from
replacing
pilings
and
dredging a portion of the
West Mooring Basin to
repairing portions of Pier
2 and parts of the rotting
East Mooring Basin cause-
way to help fishermen once
again reach their boats
from land.
The Port is also hoping
to study an expansion of
the boatyard on Pier 3 as
it moves away from major
log export operations back
toward a boatworking cen-
ter envisioned in earlier
strategic plans.
“The level of outside
funding the Port is able to
secure will determine the
time frame in which the
Port can complete the many
deferred maintenance proj-
ects that exist,” Isom said.
Isom asked the Port
Commission to approve a
transfer of $532,000 from
the Port’s special revenue
fund, a deposit of timber
taxes, to help cover the cost
of such projects. The Port
recently contracted with
Shane Jensen, the agency’s
former property and con-
tracts director, to pursue
more grants, a source of
income where the agency
often lags behind its peers.
Idling cruise ships
The Port has found a
potential saving grace in
cruise ships needing docks
to idle at as the industry
weathers a global shut-
down. Local leaders gen-
erally support the idea, and
the Port recently secured
berthing reservations for
two ships from Norwegian
Cruise Line that Isom esti-
mated could have made the
agency up to $15,000 a day.
But an outbreak of the
virus at Bornstein Seafoods
made Clatsop County staff
and local leaders uneasy
about people seeing cruise
ships in town and inundat-
ing them with calls.
Members of the Port’s
budget committee shared
their frustration over a
decision they argued was
shortsighted and more
about public perception
than safety.
“That was a piss-poor
decision at the county
level,” said Walt Postle-
wait, chairman of the bud-
get committee and an exec-
utive vice president with
Craft3. “That was ‘cover-
ing my own ass because I
don’t want to deal with it.’”
Isom has shared his con-
cerns that cruise companies
might be reluctant to work
with the Port in the future
because of the last-minute
cancellation.
The Port’s budget com-
mittee will likely approve
the proposed budget at its
next meeting Wednesday,
sending the document to
the Port Commission for
final approval.
for the welfare of subordi-
nate employees as well to
safeguard the interests of the
city and the community.”
Williams, who has been
on leave since allegations
about his behavior surfaced
in November, could not be
reached for comment.
The city said the woman
who voiced concerns about
his behavior voluntarily
resigned. She declined to
comment.
In the report, Akin Blitz,
a Portland labor attorney
who conducted the inves-
tigation for Astoria, con-
cluded that both the woman
and Williams engaged
in job-related miscon-
duct. The report alleges
the woman made a false
claim for about $3,000 in
overtime.
The woman told the city
in November that Williams
behavior toward her was
inappropriate and upset-
ting. The report found,
however, that the woman
did not tell Williams that his
conduct was unwelcome.
“(She) encouraged and
was a willing participant
in a relationship of mutual-
ity,” the report determined.
But, the report main-
tained, “None of the cir-
cumstances diminish Wil-
liams’ ultimate and primary
responsibility for all (that)
occurred.”
The woman has said that
she did not ask for attention
from Williams. She said
Williams encouraged her
to apply for a larger role
within the parks department
and seemed to support her.
But she said his behavior
toward her turned inappro-
priate and he did things to
paint her in a bad light. She
also said she worried about
losing her job.
Williams was hired as
parks director in January
2019.
Within a few months,
his behavior drew the atten-
tion of human resources.
According to documents
prepared as part of the
city’s investigation, Wil-
liams’ conduct with another
woman who worked at the
parks department exceeded
the bounds of workplace
professionalism and led
to Williams taking harass-
ment training online. The
city also brought in an
organizational expert to
help with the work relation-
ship between Williams and
the employee.
Williams, who has
worked for several parks
departments and came to
Astoria from a post in Ros-
well, New Mexico, was
hired to replace Angela
Cosby as parks director.
Cosby left the city in 2018
for a parks job in Colorado.
The parks department
had shifted to a new bud-
getary model that reflects
the true costs of running
programs and facilities like
the Astoria Aquatic Center,
maintaining parks and other
operations. City Manager
Brett Estes had hoped Wil-
liams would help stream-
line internal processes and
procedures as the depart-
ment rebuilt.
Estes said the city con-
ducts vigorous back-
ground checks before hir-
ing department directors.
He said he remains confi-
dent in the vetting process
as the city seeks to hire a
new parks director.
Jonah
Dart-McLean
had been serving as acting
parks director while Wil-
liams was on leave. He
will serve as interim parks
director.
“We just need to con-
tinue our due diligence to
gather as much informa-
tion as we can during the
recruitment process,” Estes
said.
The new director will
face the challenge of steer-
ing the parks department
out of the havoc created by
the coronavirus pandemic.
“Now, we’re in a whole
new world,” Estes said.
Stoddard: ‘I’m self-taught’
Continued from Page A1
“But a really cool thing,
through it all, is the amaz-
ing undying support of
my local community —
of my immediate circle of
friends that are so willing
to be excited and happy and
laugh and join in on it with
me,” she said.
“Even though through all
of quarantine we’re not able
to physically be together,
through social media,
they’re still able to cheer me
on and share my video.”
Stoddard said she started
baking five years ago and it
became her passion. She
said her business took off
after she was invited to
have a booth at a farmers
market at Columbia Memo-
rial Hospital in Astoria. She
made about 20 dozen cup-
cakes and they sold out in
about 20 minutes.
“I’m self-taught. I never
went to culinary school
or anything like that,”
she said. “And it took me
awhile to figure it out. You
can take one recipe and do
it a million different ways
because every little flick of
your wrist changes it.”
Stoddard said some peo-
ple may get frustrated if
there are problems and give
up. She said there is always
a simple solution and that
the information should be
more accessible to people.
“I feel so fulfilled
when I can answer some-
body else’s question. And
I guess that’s kind of like
my teacher brain popping
in and applying my teach-
ing into my passion, which
is baking,” she said.